Stump-puller



UNrrno STATES Parent Urrron,

CHARLES RUNGE, OF MERRILL, IVISCONSIN.

STUMP 'PULLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,518, dated February22, 1898. Application filed February 26, 1897. $erial No. 625,154. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES RUNGE, of Merrill, in thecounty of Lincoln,State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Stu mp-Pullers, of which the following is a complete specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of myinvention is to produce a comparatively simple, cheap,and effective stump-puller that is adapted, through the arrangement ofits parts, to exert great power and which possesses a wide range ofadjustability to accommodate it to the 'WOIk which it is designed toperform.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of mystump-puller complete in the operative position, showing in full linesthe lower supporting-lever in the initial position and in dotted linesits elevated position produced by the movement of the operating-lever.Fig. II illustrates in full lines the positions of the upper and lowersupporting-levers, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. I and in dottedlines the readjustment of the upper supporting-lever. Fig. III is acentral vertical section of the apparatus as shown in Fig. I.

Referring to the figures on the drawings, 1 indicates a tripod or horseof any suitable and ordinary construction designed to illustrate, by wayof example, a support for sustaining my machine in the verticallyoperative position. It is provided at its upper end with a hook 2, thatis designed to engage a ring or the like 3, that is secured, preferably,loosely to the upper end of a supporting-rod 4. This rod carries anupper clutch-loop 5 and a lower clutch-loop 6. The clutch-loops aresubstantially identical in construction. The clutch 5 is provided uponopposite sides with tapered extremities or horns 7 and 8 and with amedial bore 9, which may be slightly oblong in shape and defined bydownwardlytapering walls 10.

The horn 7 of the upper clutch-loop enters an aperture 11 in the upperend of a stirruppiece 12. A guide-yoke 13, provided With an aperture 14to receive the rod 4 and secured to the stirrup-piece 12 near its upperend, serves to hold the stirrup-piece substantially parallel to the rod4. A spiral spring tends to separate the upper clutch-loop from theguide-yoke 13 and to keep the former at an oblique position with respectto the rod 4, whereby the edges of the bore 9 are made to bear againstthe rod and to support the clutch and the parts attached thereto uponthe rod. It may be observed in this connection that an operator bygrasping the horn 8 may release the clutch from the rod and raise orlower the parts at will.

- Both clutch-loops being, as specified, of corresponding shape, thelower one, (i, receives through its bore 15 the rod 4. One of its horns16 projects through the oblong aperture 17 in the stirrup-piece and isdesigned to ride upon the cross-piece 1.8 in the lower end thereof. Theother horn 19 passes through an aperture 20 in the connecting-piece 21,which is provided with a yoke 22, whose bore 23 receives the rod 4.

The yoke 22 corresponds in form and function with the yoke 13,previously described, and sustains a coiled spring 24, which normallysupports the clutch 6 in a position with respect to the rod 4 oppositeto that which the clutch 5 normally occupies, the stirruppiece 12 andthe connecting-piece 21 being upon opposite sides of the rod 4.

The connecting-piece 21 carries upon its lower end a grab-clevis 25,which is designed to be secured to a stump, as by means of a chain 26.One bolt 27 may unite the clevis and also a bifurcated operating-lever28 to the lower end of the connecting-piece.

The several parts of the above-specified mechanism, with the exceptionof the horse, are preferably made of steel of suitable weight anddimensions, the operating-lever, however, preferably terminating in awooden handle 29.

30 indicates a fulcrum-support for the operating-lever, which mayconsist of a stone or block or the like that may be conveniently foundwhere the machine is operated.

The operation of my device is as follows: The parts being in theposition shown in full lines in Fig. I, the chain being secured around astump to be lifted and secured to the clevis, the upper clutch-loop 5 israised, so that the cross-piece 18 of the stirrup is in proximity to thehorn 16 of the lower clutch-loop. The operator having adjusted thefulcrum 3O applies his weight to the handle 29. Thereupon theconnecting-piece 21 is raised and operates the clutch 6, lifting thehorn 19 thereof and depressing the horn 16 against the cross-piece 18 ofthe stirrup-piece 12,

against which it bears during the lifting movement of theoperating-lever. The connecting-piece 21, the clutch 6, and theoperating-lever, together with the stirrup-piece 12 and its support,constitute a compoundlever, of which 18 is one fulcrum and 30 the other,so that in operation the clutch member 6 acts as a lever, thecross-piece 18 being its bearing or fulcrum. When the handle 29 has beendepressed by the operator as far as possible, it is released, whereuponthe clutchloop 6 is tilted again into the position shown in Fig. I bythe action of the spring 24, so that it sustains the weight upon it inthe elevated position. The upper clutch-loop 5 may then be adjusted to ahigher position upon the rod 4 and the operation of the lower clutch 6,just described, repeated. These alternating operations may be performeduntil the stump is entirely removed.

It is possible to operate my machine in a horizontal direction insteadof vertically, as

illustrated, by laying the rod 4 in a horizontal position and securingthe ring 3 to one stump, for example, and the clevis to another. Themovement of the clutch-loops upon the rod 4 would then be accomplishedby working the operating-lever substantially in the same manner aspreviously described.

What I claim is 1. In a stump-puller, the combination of a rod securedat one end, a tilting clutch adapted to engage therewith and besustained thereby, and to be moved along the rod, an operating lever,and connections between such lever and the stump, and between the leverand the clutch, whereby when the lever is operated to pull the stump, ittilts the clutch and moves it along the rod, and when its movementceases the clutch sustains the lever and the stump upon the rod,substantially as set forth.

2. In a stump-puller, the combination of a rod secured at one end, atilting clutch adapted to engage therewith and be sustained thereby, andmovable along said rod, a movable bearing for the clutch with which itengages when tilted to disengage the rod, an operating-lever, andconnections between such lever and the stump, and between it and theclutch, substantially as set forth.

3. In a stump-puller, the combination of a rod secured at one end, atilting clutch adapted to engage therewith and to be sustained thereby,and movable along said rod, a moV- able bearing for the clutch, withwhich it engages when it is tilted so as to disengage the rod, suchbearing being sustained by the rod,

v an operating-lever, and connections between such lever and the stump,and between it and the clutch, substantially as set forth.

4. In a stump-puller, the combination with a rod and adjustablebearing-piece thereon, of an adjustable clutch member upon therodprovided with horns upon its opposite extremities, an operating-leverand connectingpiece uniting the lever to one of the horns, and adaptedto operate the clutch member against the first-named bearing-piece as afulcrum, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a stump-puller, the combination with a rod, tilting clutch member,connectingpiece, and operating-lever, of a yoke upon theconnecting-piece provided with an aperture for the rod, and a coiledspring around the rod between the yoke and the clutch member,substantially as set forth.

6. In a stump-puller, the combination with a rod, tilting upperclutch-loop and stirruppiece loosely secured thereto, a yoke secured tothe stirrup-piece and surrounding the rod, and a coiled spring betweenthe yoke and the upper clutch loop, of a tilting lower clutch-loop,provided with horns, a connecting-piece loosely secured to one of thehorns, the other horn working within the stirruppiece, a yoke secured tothe connecting-piece, coiled spring between the yoke and the lowerclutch-loop, and an operating-lever operatively secured to theconnecting-piece, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of all which I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES RUNGE.

Witnesses:

GEO. CURTIS, Jr., HELEN BRITT.

